Bertie Matthews, managing director of Matthews Cotswold Flour, is a huge advocate of Regenerative Agriculture, he believes that in the next decade, sales of regeneratively produced food will eclipse organic food sales. He is calling on all food producers to move to a regenerative sourcing model now to capitalise on this opportunity to put more of these affordable, planet-friendly products into the hands of consumers. So is regenerative farming the next big thing and how is it different from organic farming?

Organic farming was a term coined in 1940. It describes any food that is produced without chemical fertilisers, pesticides, or antibiotics. The organic movement grew in response to the industrialisation of British agriculture that occurred in the immediate post-war years. It is now a worldwide industry but, more than 80 years on, it remains a relatively niche market on account of its high production costs and its low levels of productivity.

Regenerative farming, on the other hand, is the relatively new kid on the block. Although many of its practices hark back to the pre-industrialisation era of farming, it has only been a recognised term in the last 40 years and has gained real interest in the last few decades. Regenerative Agriculture is a term that refers to a farming model of growing food that protects and improves soil health, biodiversity, water retention and quality. Farmers use a host of practices including, but not limited to, reducing soil disturbance, implementing wide crop diversity, integrating livestock, maintaining living routes and protecting the soil surface.

So, whilst organically farmed products may be produced using regenerative farming methods and vice versa, this is not always the case, because the focus for each farming method is different. For organic farming it is all about growing a product without synthetic inputs but for regenerative farming, it is all about improving the land where the product is grown.

Whilst both methods have their merits, regeneratively farmed products have a key advantage that looks set to win them a bigger share of the market. That differentiator is yield. Regenerative farming can produce higher yields than organic farming because its methods improve the soil quality and fertility. This, in turn, supports more productive and resilient crops.

A higher yield for the farmer means lower costs for the producer who can pass these on to the consumer. Regeneratively farmed products can therefore be sold at a price more comparative to non-organic products than organic products, relieving, to a considerable degree, the financial barriers that have prevented mass adoption of the latter.

Bertie Matthews explains: “We recently launched the UK’s first All Purpose Regenerative White Flour. It is a flour that we have produced using wholly regeneratively farmed grains and yet we are able to sell it at a competitive price that makes it affordable for all. Unlike organic products that unfortunately come at a premium, the higher yields of regeneratively farmed grain means that a much wider range of consumers can afford to support these farming practices that make a real difference to our planet.”

Bertie adds: “We believe it is the duty of all food producers to move to a regenerative sourcing model. For years British farmers have been incorporating these practices and making a real tangible change to the landscape. It is now the turn of food producers to play their part and get these incredible products into people's homes.”

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